CVE-2026-72069: locking/rt: Fix the incorrect RCU protection in rt_spin_unlock()

Published Aug 15, 2026
·
Updated

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

locking/rt: Fix the incorrect RCU protection in rtspinunlock()

rtspinunlock() releases the RCU protection before unlocking the lock. That opens the door for the following UAF scenario:

T1 T2 spinlock(&p->lock); rcureadlock(); invalidate(p); p = rcudereference(ptr); rcuassignpointer(ptr, NULL); if (!p) return; spinunlock(&p->lock); spinlock(&p->lock) lock(&lock->lock); rcureadlock(); kfreercu(p); rcureadunlock(); .... spinunlock(&p->lock) rcureadunlock(); // Ends grace period rcudobatch() kfree(p); UAF -> rtmutexcmpxchgrelease(&lock->lock...)

Regular spinlocks keep preemption disabled accross the unlock operation, which provides full RCU protection, but the RT substitution fails to resemble that. Same applies for the rwlock substitution.

Move the rcureadunlock() invocation past the unlock operations to match the non-RT semantics. This makes it asymmetric vs. rtxxxlock(), but that's harmless as the caller needs to hold RCU read lock across the lock operation. The migrateenable() call stays before the unlock operation because there is no per CPU operation in the unlock path which would require migration to be kept disabled.

Affected Software

1 affected component
Linux Linux kernel

Event History

Aug 15, 2026
CVE Published
via MITRE·05:52 AM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·05:52 AM
Description
Data Sourced
via NVD·06:21 AM
Description
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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2026-72069?

CVE-2026-72069 has a risk rating of 48, indicating a significant security concern.

2

How do I fix CVE-2026-72069?

To mitigate CVE-2026-72069, users should upgrade to the latest version of the Linux kernel that addresses the RCU protection issue.

3

What systems are affected by CVE-2026-72069?

CVE-2026-72069 affects the Linux kernel running on systems that implement the related locking mechanisms.

4

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2026-72069?

CVE-2026-72069 is a use-after-free (UAF) vulnerability caused by incorrect RCU protection in the rt_spin_unlock() function.

5

When was CVE-2026-72069 published?

CVE-2026-72069 was published on August 15, 2026.

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